Critical Vote for the Coho

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, April 5, 2001

THE STATE Fish and Game Commission today should officially declare what is obvious to anyone who can count: the coho salmon is an imperiled species north of San Francisco Bay.

The federal government made such a designation in 1997, but a genuine effort to protect the wild salmon would require state action. A state listing would require that the coho's plight be taken into account when California reviews proposals for timber harvesting, water diversions, gravel mining or other activities that could affect the fish.

A half century ago, about 500,000 coho returned to California coastal streams to spawn. Today, the numbers have dropped to about 5,000.

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Commissioners today will be considering whether to begin a year-long study on that population drop, which could lead to an endangered listing sometime next year. The Department of Fish and Game, after reviewing the scientific evidence, has recommended such action.

California must move to protect the coho before it's too late. The commission should listen to the biologists, as well as the North Coast communities that have seen the economic effects of a dramatic loss of the once- robust salmon runs.